Door construction



`March 1, 1932. E. c. LoETscHER DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed July 15, 1930Patented Mar. l, 1932 Irap STATES PATENTv EMIL C. LOETSCHER, OF DUBUQUE,IOWA, ASSIGNOR TOFARLEY & LOETSCHER MFG. CO., OF DUBUQUE, lOl/VA, ACGRPOR-ATION OF IOWA Doon CONSTRUCTION Application led .Tuly 15, 1930.Serial No. 468,155.

derstood from adetail description of the improved door.

With the foregoing object outlined and with other objects in view whichwill appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in thenovel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in theaccomthe door.

Referring to the drawings, 4 designates the central panel, 4a the toprail, 4b one of the side stiles, 5 the mitred insert frame, and 6 theinsert molding of the improved door. lt will of course be understoodthat the panel l is of rectangular form, surrounded by the rectangularframe 5, and that the latter is bordered by the rectangular frameformedby the side stiles and cross rails.

The panel 4 may be solid or veneered, and the rails and Stiles may besolid or veneered. The drawings illustrate the panel and one of therails as veneered. The frame v5 also may be either solid or madefromveneered material, but it is illustrated as solid.

Doors of this type in the past have been made in various lways. Themolding 6 in the most common method has been nailed at the points markedA, to the insert frame 5, and as the molding is thin, it is necessaryrto place the nails rather close together, and the molding at the edges Bis apt to move away from the insert frame, and leave a slight spacebetween the molding and said frame.' Such a construction is not onlyobjectionable for l this reason, but the numerous nail holes at thepoints A, require puttying before the door is either painted orvarnished. In the varnished door, the nail holes always show as aHdisgurement. l

In accordance with the present invention, it will be noticed that theinsert frame is under-cut along the lines C, at opposite sides of theframe to provide substantially V-l 50 shaped projecting tongues C. Themolding 6 is under-cut on one edge to fit the undercut` on the frame 5,in such a way as to form lips 7 which overlap the tongues C. The lip isa rather important feature, in that it cov-@ ers any unevenness in thesharp corners of the tongues. The molding, in practice, is nailed fromthe outer edge, as shown at 8, and these nails of course extend into theinsert frame. Owing to the improved con* struction, the nails arespaced' widely apart, as they are only used to hold the molding irmly inposition before the panel l is assembled in the stiles and rails. It isnot necessary to have as many nails as used heretofore;V z and the nailsare all concealed, as their heads are covered b v the stile and railmembers.l

It will be observed that the opposite faces of the frame 5 are so cut asto leave spaces 9 between the frame and the molding. Suchf/go spacesallow slight variations in the shape of the molding, and permit perfectjoints of the molding with the insert frame, which of course, is verydesirable.

The Stiles and rails are under-cut along the lines 10 to receive thestep-shaped outer edges of the molding, so that the molding enters thestiles and rails for a short distance.

Tongues 11 project from the edges of the insert frame, and they entercorrespondingv grooves lla in the stiles and crossV rails, wherebywhenfthe latter are assembled, the moldingfand frame 5 are tightlyinterlocked with the rails and stiles, and solid portions p of the railsand stiles act to hold the molding in interlocked relation with theframe 5. In other words, this construction securely anchors the panel inthe door frame.

The process of manufacturing the door is to make the insert frame 5 withmitred corvv1GO 11ers, as show n at 5a, and to lit the edges of thepanel into grooves 5b of the frame, as the frame members are assembled.After the frame 5 has been Vmade in this manner and connected to thepanel, the panel is run through a double panel raiser which makes theunderlcuts C, both under-cuts being made in one operation on the twoparallel sides l2. Subsequent to the time that the insert frame islmachined in this manner, the moldings 6 which have been run in theusual manner on a molder, are mitred and attached to the insert frame bynailing them from their outer edges with the nails 8 spaced about a footapart. After' the moldings have been attached in this way, the insertframe is comp-lete and is assembled in the stiles and rails as acomplete panel; the stiles and rails having previously7 been preparedwith the grooves l0 and lla to receive the tongues ll, and the whole isplaced in an ordinary door clamp in the usual manner.

While a door of this character may be made in various ways, it has beenfound that the above construction'is the most practical way to make thesame and avoid the disfigurement of nail holes showing in the surface ofthe moldings; besides, the molding is held much more securely whennailed separate from the face. This also makes a considerable saving inlabor, as in the ordinary method of nailing the molding on to the insertframe, it requires from 50 to 60 small brads to hold the molding inposition. With the described construction, this number may be reducedabout one-half. Furthermore, as the nails are very small and heretoforehad to be set in the molding, the time required is consideral ble,whereas if the molding is nailed from the back, as described herein, itis not necessary to set the nails, and it is much easier to apply them.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction and advantagesof a door in accordance with the invention may be readily understood bythose skilled in the art, and it apparent that changes may be made inthe details disclosed, without departing from the spirit of theinvention, as expressed in the claims.

l/hat is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is l. Adoor including an insert frame having its opposite faces under-cut,molding strips having complementary under-cut surfaces engaging theunder-cut surfaces of the frame, and; stile and cross rail membershaving grooves into which the outer edges of the frame and moldingstrips extend.

2. A door including an insert frame having its opposite faces under-cut,molding strips havin-g complementary under-cut surfaces engaging theunder-cut surfaces of the frame, and stile and cross rail members hay'ing grooves into; whichl the outer edges of the frame and moldingstrips extend, each molding strip having a lip overlapping a face of theframe.

'3. A door including an insert frame having its opposite facesunder-cut, molding strips having complementary under-cut surfacesengaging the under-cut surfaces of the frame, and stile and cross railmembers having grooves into which the outer edges of the frame andmolding strips extend, the inner surfaces of kthe under-cut portions ofthe molding strips being spaced from the frame.

t. A door -including an insert frame hav-- ing its opposite facesunder-cut, molding strips having complementary under-cut sur-- facesengaging the under-cut surfaces of the frame, and stile and cross railmembers hav-- ing grooves into which the outer edges of the frame andmolding strips extend, the undercut portions of the frame providing projecting tongues, and ther molding strips having grooves to receive saidtongues.

5. A door including an insert frame having its opposite faces under-cut,molding strips having complementary Vunder-cut sur-1130 faces engagingthe under-cut surfaces of the frame, stile and cross rail members havinggrooves into which the outer edges of the frame and molding stripsextend, and nails extending through the outer edges of thcfl moldingstrips into the insert frame.

6. A door or the like comprising an insert frame member under-cut at oneside thereof to provide a groove extending toward the central portion ofthe frame, and a tongueY` projecting outwardly away from the centralportion of the frame, a molding having its inner edge under-cut toprovide a groove into which the tongue extends, and means for securingthe molding to said frame memben 7. A door or the like comprising aninsert frame member under-cut at one side thereof to provide a grooveextending toward the central portion of the frame, and a tongueprojecting outwardly away from the centralfy portion of thev frame, amolding. having its inner edge under-cut to provide a groove into whichthe tongue extends, and means for securing the molding to said framemember, the inner surface of the molding adjacent to the groove, beingspaced from the outer surface of the frame member.

8. A door or the like comprising an insert frame member under-cutV atone side thereof to provide a groove extending toward the centralportion of the frame, and a tongue projecting outwardly away from thecentral portion of the frame, a molding having its inner edge under-cutto provide a groove into which the tongue extends, means for secu:' 125ing the molding to said frame member, and a lip on the moldingprojecting toward the central portion of the frame and overlapping aface of the frame member adjacent tothe under-cut portion of the latter.

9. A door of the character described, comprising an insert frame member,molding strips on opposite sides thereof and having their inner edgesextending into and interloclred with portions of the frame member, theouter edges oi the frame member and the molding strips forming a steppedshaped tongue, and an outer frame member having a stepped shaped grooveto receive said tongue. n

l0. A door of the character described, comprising an insert framemember, molding strips on opposite sides thereof and having their inneredges extending into and interlocked vvith portions of the frame member,the outer edges of the frame member and the molding strips forming astepped shaped tongue, an outer frame member having a stepped shapedgroove to receive said tongue, and nails extending through the tongueportions of the molding into the insert frame member and having theirouter ends covered by said outer frames.

1l. A door comprising a panel, an insert frame having its inner edgesgrooved, the edges of the panel extending into said groove, the oppositesides of the frame being undercut to provide substantially V-shapedtongues projecting tovvard the outer edges of the frame, molding stripsarranged on opposite sides of the frame and having substantiallyV-shaped grooves into which the tongues extend, each molding striphaving a lip projecting toward the panel and overlapping a side face ofthe insert frame, the outer edges of the molding strips and framesforming tongues, and an outer frame having grooves into which the lastmentioned tongues project. l

12. A door comprising a panel, an insert frame having its inner edgesgrooved, the edges of the panel extending into said groove, the oppositesides of the frame being undercut to provide substantially V-shapedtongues projecting toward the outer edges of the frame, molding stripsarranged on opposite sides of the frame and having substantiallyV-shaped grooves into which the tongues extend, each molding striphaving a lip projecting toward the panel and overlapping a side face ofthe insert frame` the outer edges of the molding strips and framesforming tongues. an outer frame having grooves into which the lastmentioned tongues project, and nails passing from the outer edges of themolding strips into the frame.

13. A door comprising a panel, an insert frame having its inner edgesgrooved, the edges of the panel extending into said groove, the oppositesides of the frame being undercut to provide substantially V-shapedtongues projecting toward the outer edges of the frame, molding stripsarranged on opposite sides of the frame and having substantiallyV-shaped grooves into Which the tongues extend, each molding striphaving a lip projecting toward the panel and overlapplng a side face ofthe insert frame, the outer edges of the molding strips and framesforming tongues, and an outer frame having grooves into which the lastmentioned tongues project, the inner surfaces of the molding stripsadjacent to the grooves of the molding, being spaced from the sidesurfaces of the insert frame.

In testimony whereof I aix my slgnature. EMIL C. LOETSCHER`

